Santa Rosa 'shooting' leads to standoff between SWAT team and suspect

October 5, 2013, 3:53PM

10/05/2013

An early morning report of a "possible shooting" Saturday in southwest Santa Rosa led to a 4-hour standoff between a Sonoma County SWAT team and a 33-year-old man who had threatened to kill his cousin with what was thought to be a firearm but turned out to be a paint gun, sheriff's officials said.

Sheriff's deputies were first dispatched to the 4000 block of Taylor Avenue, off Scenic Avenue, when a man called 911 and said his cousin, Lloyd Fouche of Santa Rosa, had shot at him with an unknown type of firearm.

When sheriff's deputies arrived, they saw Fouche run into a house on the property. Sheriff's officials said the victim told them he was in a mobile trailer on the property when he was shot at. The victims said Fouche was high on drugs and alcohol and threatened to kill him, officials said.

The sheriff's special operations unit was brought in after Fouche refused deputies' orders to come out of the house. After four hours, Fouche surrendered to members of the SWAT team.

"At first I thought it was a gunshot, and then I thought, no that was way too loud," said a local resident who asked that his name not be used.

The resident said the neighborhood was swarmed by sheriff's deputies and SWAT officers. Several SWAT mobile vehicles blocked the narrow roads for hours another resident said.

After Fouche was apprehended, sheriff's detectives from the violent crimes investigations unit searched the property. They didn't find any firearm, but they did discover a broken window on the trailer where the victim was.

Sheriff's officials said they believe Fouche broke the window and shot into the trailer, causing the victim to believe he was being fired upon.

Fouche was booked into Sonoma County Jail on suspicion of making terrorist threats and felony vandalism. He was released after $20,000 bail was posted.

An early morning report of a "possible shooting" Saturday in southwest Santa Rosa led to a 4-hour standoff between a Sonoma County SWAT team and a 33-year-old man who had threatened to kill his cousin with what was thought to be a firearm but turned out to be a paint gun, sheriff's officials said.

Sheriff's deputies were first dispatched to the 4000 block of Taylor Avenue, off Scenic Avenue, when a man called 911 and said his cousin, Lloyd Fouche of Santa Rosa, had shot at him with an unknown type of firearm.

When sheriff's deputies arrived, they saw Fouche run into a house on the property. Sheriff's officials said the victim told them he was in a mobile trailer on the property when he was shot at. The victims said Fouche was high on drugs and alcohol and threatened to kill him, officials said.

The sheriff's special operations unit was brought in after Fouche refused deputies' orders to come out of the house. After four hours, Fouche surrendered to members of the SWAT team.

Neighbors reported hearing a "flash bomb" at about 6:30 a.m.

"At first I thought it was a gunshot, and then I thought, no that was way too loud," said a local resident who asked that his name not be used.

The resident said the neighborhood was swarmed by sheriff's deputies and SWAT officers. Several SWAT mobile vehicles blocked the narrow roads for hours another resident said.

After Fouche was apprehended, sheriff's detectives from the violent crimes investigations unit searched the property. They didn't find any firearm, but they did discover a broken window on the trailer where the victim was.

Sheriff's officials said they believe Fouche broke the window and shot into the trailer, causing the victim to believe he was being fired upon.

Fouche was booked into Sonoma County Jail on suspicion of making terrorist threats and felony vandalism. He was released after $20,000 bail was posted.